Printing attachment for knitting-machines



PatentedSept. 13, 1921.

G. S. WEINERTH.

PRINTING ATTACHMENT FOR KNITTING MACHINES. APPLICATION FILED Nov. 23,I920. 1,390,660.

nd I N N ,I lf *I I IWI ITS: I 1I tachments for UNITED STATES PATENTOFFICE.

GEORGE S. WEINERTH, 0F READING, PENNSYLVANIA.

To all whom it may concern y l Be it known that I, GEORGE S. WEINERTH, acitizen of the United States, residin at Reading, in the county of Berksand tate of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Imrovements in `Printing Atnitting-Machines, of which the following is aspecification.

My invention consists in a printing attachment for knitting machines,which is adapted'to automatically print `determined markings upon eachof a series of consecutively produced knitted articles, and which isfully described in connection with the accompanying drawing and thenovel features thereof clearly .defined in the claims.

Figure 1 is a plan view of the attachment; coperative portions of aknitting machine to which it is applicable, and a cross-section of thefabric, being indicated in dotted lines.

Fig. 2 is a sectional elevation mainly on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1, withthe relative positions of knitting machine parts and of the fabric againindicated.

Fig. 3 is a artial end view with the fixed platen arm broken away andthe inking device removed.

The directly cooperating parts of a knitting machine in connection withwhich my invention is employed, are the needle cyl inder indicated at a,and the pattern wheel b suitably mounted in the machine frame c andchain driven as usual to automatically control the knitting asrequired;these parts being shown in the relation commonly employed inhosiery ribbers. The fabric d represents a connected series of tops, asordinarily knitted on such machines and as passing through thefabric-way 5 of the attachment to the usual take-ofi rolls c.

These hosiery ribbers, which knit a continuous string of hosiery tops tobe subsequently cut apart for separate use in completing the stockings,are commonly cmployed in large numbers; and the particular purpose of myinvention is to provide for automatically marking each top produced soas to identify the particular machine which produced it, so that in caseof any defect the cause thereof may be quickly determined and corrected.

The frame of the printing attachment is formed with attaching arms 6, 6adapted to be rigidly secured, as indicated, to the knitting machineframe c; with a slide-way bracket 7 extending at right angles to theSpeclcaton of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. 13, 1921.

Application filed November 23, 1920. Serial No. 425,955.

axis of the needle cylinder and having a fixed-platen extension arm 8spaced apart from the end of the slide-way portion of bracket 7 so as toprovide the vertical fabricway 5; and with vertical supports 9, 9forming bearings for the lever mechanism employed to operate thereciprocative bed member 10 in the slide-way of the bracket.

The reciprocative bed member 10, which is suitably guided in the bracketslide-way, is

provided at its forward end with an impresv sion plate or type 11adapted to effect any desired marking on the interposed portion offabric d, when the member 10 forces it outward against the fixed platenarm 8.

This movement is automatically imparted to the member l() at determinedintervals, corresponding with the fixed length of each top, by action ofthe pattern wheel b upon the operating lever mechanism carried by thesupports 9, 9 of the attachmentframe. As shown this mechanism comprisesa horizontal shaft 15 mounted in said supports and provided with a fixedoperating arm 16; the spring-pressed pivoted end portion 17 `of thelatter being arranged in the path of a projection or pin 18 on thepattern wheel so as to cause a rocking movement of the shaft 15 at adetermined time in each rotation of the pattern wheel, and consequentlyat a determined position of each knitted top produced. This rockingmovement of shaft 15 is transmitted to the reciprocative bed member 10through a link 20 pivotally connected to lugs 2l on said member;'thisbe- `ing eifected Vas shown through an intermediate level` shaft 22 alsomounted in said supports 9, 9 and arranged to receive a rocking movementfrom an arm 24 on said operating shaft 15, and to transmit the same tothe member 10, as desired through a fixed arm 25 on the shaft 22 andsaid pivoted link 20.

To provide for automatically inking the impression end of thereciprocative member 10 after the making of each impression, I employ aninking device 30, pivotally secured at 31 to lugs 32, 32 on the slidewaybracket 7, and having an end portion 33 thereof depending below saidpivoted connection 31 so as to be operatively engaged by thereciproeative member 10; the latter being provided on its upper surfacewith spaced offsets 35, 36 forming between them a recess for saiddepending end 33 ofl the inking device, so that the latter is caused toswing reversely lOO Y with corresponding move-ments of the member'10.The inking end 39 of the device is thus swung into inking contact withthe impression end of the member during each retracting movement of thelatter, andV is swung out of the way, as indicated in dotted'lines,during each forward movement of the'latter. A stop spring l() is shownto limit the upward swing of the inking device.

' 25, shaft 22 and link 20, will press forward the reciprocative bedmember 10 in the guide- Vway bracket 7. The offset 35 of the latter,

pressing" against the depending: end 38 of the inking device 30 willswing the latter `upward to the dotted position indicated,

leaving the inked impression end of the member 10 free to press thefabric in fabricway 5 against the fixed platen arm 8 and impart thedesired marking-ordinarily the particular number of the machine to whichthe attachment-l is applied. When the pin 18 passes the lever-arm 16 themember 10l is withdrawn by Va spring41, and offset 36 of the member 10throws the end 39 of the pivoted inking device 30 into inking contactwith the impression end 11 of said member; while the lever arm 16 isreturned to normal position for a repeat-operation by the pattern wheel.lfa defect appears in any product of a series of machines provided. withthe attachment, the particular machine in which such defective, productwas made is at once identied by the marking.

The preferred construction of my attachment which is specifically setforth may obviously be modified within the scope of the invention Aasdefined in the claims.

Nhatl claim is:V

1. In combination with a knitting machine havin'ga needle cylinder and apattern wheel; a fabric-printing mechanism comprising an attaching framehaving operating-lever supports and a slide-way bracket forming apassage-way for the produced fabric, a reciprocative bed member in saidslide-way, and lever devices for projecting said member including atensioned arm arranged in the path of said pattern wheel having limitedindependent movement.

2. A fabric-printing mechanism for circular knitting machines,comprising an attaching frame having operating-lever supports and aslide-way bracket with an extension forming a fabric-way, arcciprocative bed member in said slide-way, a pivoted inking device,means carried by t-he bed member operating to positivelyswing the inkingdevice to operative and inoperative positions incident to the retractingand advancing movements, respectively of the bed member and levermechanism for operating said rcciprocative platen member.

3. A fabric-printing mechanism for circular knitting machines,comprising an attaching frame having operating-lever supports and aslide-way bracket, a stationary arm arranged at the end of the slide-waybracket forming a fabric-way, a reciprocative bed member in saidslide-way, an inking device pivoted to said bracket and operativelyengaged by said reciprocative platen member, and lever mechanism foroperating the latter.

1. A fabric printing mechanism for circular knitting machines comprisingan attaching frame having operating-lever supports and a slide-waybracket with an extension forming a fabric way, a reciprocative bedmember in said slide-way, a lever mechanism for operating saidreciprocative platen member, a pivoted inking device, means carried bythe bed member operating to positively swing the inking device tooperative and inoperative positions incident to the retracting andadvancing movements, respectively, of the bed member, and means t0resiliently stop the movement of the pivoted inking device during itsreturn to inoperative position.

In testimony whereof I aiix my signataire.

GEO. S. VElNERTl-l'.

